We can put the rumors to bed, at least for now. The NFL trade deadline came and went, and star wide receiver A.J. Brown is still a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles were never going to trade Brown at this point in time, but that didn’t stop fans and media members alike from wildly speculating. In fairness, Brown’s own perceived frustration, expressed through media quotes and cryptic social media posts, led to such speculation in the first place. So, it wasn’t completely unfounded.
Once the deadline officially passed, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman spoke to media members and shared some insight into why a trade for the star pass-catcher was never even on the table in Philadelphia.
“When you’re trying to be a great team, it’s hard to trade great players. A.J. Brown is a great player,” Roseman said. “He cares about winning. He cares about his teammates. He wears the ‘C’ [captain] for a reason. He’s an important part of this team and this organization. . . . When you’re a team like ours, that’s looking forward to an opportunity to compete for a championship, you just don’t get rid of guys like that.”
These comments make it crystal clear that the Eagles hold Brown in very high regard and are willing to put up with some antics in order to keep him around. Late last month, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie discussed Brown’s intensity and desire to be great, which can sometimes be misinterpreted from the outside.
“It’s not conflict. It’s intensity,” Lurie said of Brown. “The players respect it. I like intensity. The players are intense. Howie’s intense, I’m intense, the coach is intense. Every week, every situation, we approach it with intensity.
“We encourage it. We want different personalities,” he added. “Sometimes, in trades or in free agency, we’ll bring people in that complement those that we have. They’re different on purpose. We don’t want sameness.”
The organization is standing firmly behind Brown, and now that the deadline has passed, hopefully the broader conversation surrounding the Eagles can advance past speculation about Brown’s future and start to focus more on the fact that the defending Super Bowl champions are 6-2, which is tied for the best record in the NFC.
The Eagles are fresh off one of the best Bye Weeks imaginable. Not only did almost all of their key rivals in the conference lose, but they also addressed some major areas of need on the defensive side of the ball via trade. So, they should enter the back half of the season in great position, well-rested and with reinforcements.
Ironically enough, Philadelphia's addition of Brown via trade with the Tennessee Titans during the 2022 NFL Draft was recently named the best trade in franchise history by Bleacher Report.